Price
by Couture Girl
Summary: The price of being a Death Eater is losing Luna, the price of obeying Umbridge was seeing her hurt, the price of seeing Theodore's eyes was pain...


**AN: Written for HedwigBlack's Weekly Challenge: Slytherin Paired up with Other House. Of course this was meant to be a Tuna :D Dedicated for HedwigBlack who shares my Tuna love and well to forgive me that I turned this in so late.**

**Big thanks to my beta and little sister Sara, for looking this over and helping me with the title and the same time coming out with a cool summary!**

**Oh Italics are Nott**

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His Father once had told him that Nott's were the ones to change history, silently with very much power. But with all power comes with a price. Theodore knew what his Father's price was, to kill his young wife in front of his seven year old son. And now Theodore had power, power that his Father had promised him when the Dark Lord returned but the price he had to pay was to end things with Luna. And he was suffering from it, even though he didn't show it.

Theodore followed the Pureblood guidelines, one must never show emotions to the outside world. It was of bad taste to show your feelings while you were in public, it made you look _weak_ and Theo hated being weak even though it was killing him. But he had to do it, he had made his first unselfish decision. Saving Luna's life by breaking her heart and his.

He was a Death Eater now, he had been trained for this since he was a toddler. It had always been planned and he had even told Luna about it, to make her aware that he was not a good person, to give her a head start to leave him. But she had told him that he _was_ a good person and that she wouldn't leave him. Once he had the Dark Mark and they had been together, she had seen it. Luna had already known that he would receive it over the summer and for a moment she had been silent, her small fingers about to touch the final piece of his corruption. He pulled his arm away, Theo didn't want to corrupt her and she told him while she didn't approve, she understood and would be at his side.

But Theodore's first priority was to keep Luna alive, safe and pure. Meaning he had to end things with her. Theo had received something sinister when he got the Dark Mark. Something that Luna had glimpsed and he saw that bit of fear in her blue dreamy eyes. Her eyes plus the ones that he had seen of that horrid Thestral, took him to the decision of breaking her heart.

Now he had to see his nymph from afar and not defend her from the rest of the school. Well he did defend her, he would hex or jinx her tormentors once they left her, for he knew that Luna wouldn't like that he hurt their fellow classmates. So Theodore didn't have the right anymore to make those dimwitted classmates of his know that Luna wasn't alone, that he was there for her. He would protect her from the shadows, biting his tongue, stopping himself from stepping out once the insults and taunts began, to wait when she would shrug and smile distractedly and skip away. The he _would_ step out and hurt them, using the excuse of being in the Inquisitional Squad. His dark personality would let him, simply because Nott wanted to fuel his sadistic character.

Nott, his dark personality was taunting him while Theodore walked inside the castle. _Do you actually believe that you defending her in the sidelines will make her go to your arms? You hurt them, she'll never forgive you if she found out it was you that hexed Macamillan's tongue. _Theo tried to ignore Nott's jeers but he couldn't because it was true. Luna was _good_ something he was not and she would never be by his side if she found out about Macamillan or that he was the one that had given those quills to that toad of Umbridge. He began to pinch himself, trying to make him go away, but knowing Nott was here to stay, he was in control now and Theodore couldn't do anything about it.

Theodore no longer was in control of himself and slowly Nott was taking more and more power. He was becoming a shadow of himself and the few people who looked into his emerald eyes could see that he was becoming into a very dangerous person, the person they had seen in the Yule Ball when he had entered with the cold Daphne Greengrass. It was a sign that he was loosing himself and fast. Without Luna, he would not be saved-not even from himself and would be the exact image of the person he most hated-his father.

His dark and brooding thoughts disappeared when he smelled cinnamon and a light hand went around his elbow and pushed him into a deserted classroom both of them knew very well. Her small palm made him remember many times she would surprise him and push him into a Broom Closet or this precise deserted classroom, they would snog and sometimes go a bit farther. But he pulled away when she closed the door. No. Why the bloody hell was he comforting himself in bittersweet memories that he knew would just hurt him even more afterwards? He was going crazy now, he was imagining Luna pulling him into this classroom, imagining that she was actually looking at him since Halloween. Theodore was going mad, he hadn't imagined Luna and this meant he did need her-_a sign of weakness Teddy_.

Theodore's eye twitched, a hand slapping his head, "Just leave me alone!" He hissed really thinking he was alone.

Luna took a step forward, her dainty hand holding his cheek. She even felt real, he thought as his green eyes looked at her. His imagination was really good, she even smelled of cinnamon. He took a step back, he would regret this later, maybe he could just close his eyes and then.

Her hand went down, a frown on her face. The frown broke his heart but then as his eyes saw the back of her hand he noticed something that made him freeze in terror. Making him realize that he wasn't imagining.

'_I will not talk about imaginary creatures' _were carved on the back of her hand by her own blood. She had more as well, but they were scars now.

Theodore felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart as well at his back and twisting the dagger, hands going around his neck, suffocating him, feeling he was being Crucio'd, the guilt was eating him up and somehow Nott wasn't liking seeing Luna being hurt, even though he had hurt her as well.

He knew who did this. It had been him. His Father-his bloody old Father owned the quills and that fat disgusting toad wanted them or she would take the old man and him to trial for keeping dark objects in their home. Theodore preferred to be in Azkaban, to live with the torment of having all his depressed memories be replayed than having Luna be hurt. And it was all his fault. He had been the one to give them to Umbridge.

His hand held her wrist, making her hand go in front of his face, she was warm as always. Theodore and Nott said the words, "I'll kill her." He would, he had killed a halfblood, tortured countless muggles. The toad would be easy. Luna's eyes held fear, as she realized that he would kill Umbridge and not care if he went to hell after it.

"You aren't the same." She said airily, her voice filled with shock and sadness.

Theo's eyes squinted, "I'm better, improved." He said, opening his arms, standing straight, smiling making his scar show.

Luna shook her head, "Your not."

He sighed, "It's because you don't see the whole image. I'm much stronger now, powerful, people fear me." Theodore said as he stepped forward making her take a step back and then another one. "I'm faster, I'm finally perfect." Her back met a desk. "I have no weakness, I'm a god, Luna. Like the muggle god Zeus." His arms trapped her, going to each side.

Nott could smell the fear radiating from her pores and it made him feel powerful and euphoric.

"No one would notice if I kill her, I'll be making you all a favor-even to your new friend, Potter." He sneered.

He had seen more of Luna with Potter since they had broken up. It was like she wanted Potter. And before he was indifferent of the halfblood, but now, he shared Draco's hate. He didn't want Potter, he didn't like Potter being near his Luna.

Luna tried to pull away, but he held her hips, "No. Did you actually think I didn't notice? When your friends with Potter everyone notices-even me, even the Dark Lord!" He yelled in her face, Luna's breath stopped and her lip quivered. She didn't recognize him at all. This wasn't her Theodore, this was someone else, and it scared her so much. He was capable of many dark and evil things. "You ruined my plan, Luna. Don't you see it? I left you because I needed you to be safe but you took that sacrifice for granted and now your with Potter-my Lord's enemy." He hissed.

"Let me go, please." She whispered, her wide dreamy eyes looking up at him.

But he didn't, is hold even tightened, Nott fueling his blind anger "I had been planning to be the best so I could keep you but now your with Potter. You never loved me." He shook her, frowning as he realized what his words meant. What he was doing. Merlin. He was losing himself and he was hu-

"You're hurting me." Luna said softly, her eyes begging him.

Dropping his hold on her as if she were on fire, his green eyes widened. He was filled with disgust and shock and mostly anger for himself. He mumbled something that not even he understood. Walking back he kept on mumbling it and he opened the door. From now on, he would not set one foot near her, it was all better in the shadows. He wouldn't hurt her, he wouldn't be able to touch her, she would be with Potter...she wouldn't be his.

As he closed the door and ran to the dungeons not looking back that was when Luna fell to the ground and cried, her small hands covering her eyes, feeling her arms start to bruise. She had only wanted to see his eyes, because she had felt them on her more and more, had even dreamed about him. But it was all a dream, it was all imaginary. Theodore wasn't her Theodore and she feared he would never be her Theodore ever again. But she had heard that he mumbled 'I'm sorry.' She knew that her Theodore would apologize, that he would recognize even if it hurt that he had done something wrong. A small watery smile appeared on her face, as hope entered her body. Her Theodore would return.

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**AN: My mind was thinking on Bitterseet Dreams, Infractus Pectus and other one-shot;s. So if you have read my work this is a continuation of Theo's fifth year.**


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